Rail chuck for machine tools



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l INVENTOR 77/E0oo/PEA Wirf/G. BY M4 4- y ATTORNEYS.

June 8, 1937. T. A. wr-:TTIG

I RAIL CHUCK FOR MACHINE. TOOLS Filed June 6, 1956 June 8, 1937. 1'. A. wETTlG RAIL CHUCK FOB. MACHINE TOOLS Filed June 6, 1956 2 Shee'ts-Sheet 2 lNvENToR. THEaaa/i'f ,4. WHT/G.

MMU Y M ATTORNEYS.

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Patented June 8, 1937 UNITED STATES RAIL oHUoK'FoR MACHINE TooLs Theodore A. wettig, cincinnati, ohio Application June 6, 1936, serial No. 83,972

7 Claims.

My invention relates to rail chucksfor machine tools.

I-Ieretofore it has been customary to make rail chucks having clamping screws for clamping work r against the rail. 'Ihe clamps for several pieces of work to be tooled have been so arranged that the clamping of each piece of work with respect to the rail and to the chuck shell is likely to disalign the` other pieces of work. Further strains l are exerted against the chuck mechanism which tend to develop a bell-mouthed condition of the clamping jaws. Both of these disadvantages makes precision work unlikely.

It is the object of my invention to provide a l rail clamp having screws independent of the clamping jaws for clamping lugs or extensions of one of a plurality of pieces of work against the rail, and to then provide clamping jaws which have an interrelated adjustability which clamps O the several pieces of the work together without disaligning the positions in which one of the pieces has already been clamped.

I further have as an object the provision of a rail chuck having jaws adjustable by means of a floating screw. In my applicationSerial No. 81,274, nled May 22, 1936, I have disclosed a chuck in which one of a plurality of pieces of work may extend through the chuck body and be clamped against a rail by means of one of a plurality of clamping jaws. Another or other jaws may then be employed to clamp other pieces of work with respect to the originally clamped piece. The variation from the specific example disclosed in this copending application and the present appli- 5 cation relates to a chuck in which one of several pieces of work is rst clamped against the rail and in which the clamping jaws have relative adjustability to clamp the various pieces of work together. The broad principle of adjustability by means of free floating mechanism for actuating chuck clamping jaws is disclosed both in this and my other application to which I have referred.

The above objects and other objects to which reference will be made in the ensuing description, I accomplish by that certain combination and arrangement of parts of which I have depicted a preferred typical construction, so as to enable others skilled in the art to fully apprehend the underlying features of my invention in the various ways contemplated thereby. Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the chuck with parts broken away to reveal the internal construction.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of several pieces of work to be retained 'in the chuck preparatory to a tooling operation thereon.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view:r of another segment of work to be combined with the segment shown in Fig. 2 to be operated on as a unit therewith.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along the lines 5 lI-4 in Fig. 1. j

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the chuck.

Fig. 6 is a perspective View.l ofcne of the clamping jaws together with the jaw carrying block. l0

The shell of the chuck is indicated at I. A rail 2 is xedly mounted in the shell and properly positioned therein by means of bolts 3.

Clamping bolts 4 are shown which are adapted to engage the lugs 5 of one of several segmental 5 pieces which are to be combined as a unit for a tooling o-peration. The bolts l clamp the lugs 5 securely against the rail 2 and lateral adjustment of the lugs of the work is arranged for by means of the side guide bolts 6.

A channel I which extends to a tubular bore 8 extends through the shell. Clamping jaws 9 having jaw sectors I9 with roughened surfaces are bolted to internally threaded jaw blocks II by means of bolts I2.

The internal threads I3 of the blocks or bushings II engage the threads I4 of a free floating screw I5. v

Since the screw I5 is free floating, I have provided frictional bearing members I6 which bear against the sides of one of the blocks I I and thereby retain or arrest the jaws while loading or unloading the chuck to keep them from falling out of place.

The particular chuck of which I have shown av preferred embodiment is adapted to retain a plurality of pieces of work usually of segmental shape, such as are illustrated at VI, i8 in Figs. 2 and 3. While the lugs 5 which are originally clamped against the rail 2 may vary widely as to size and shape, my invention contemplates the original positioning of one of the segments ofthe work which is to be tooled as a unit before the socket receiving heads i9 of the free floating screw are actuated to clamp the several pieces oi' work securely together.

I have found that by first positioning one of the several pieces of work to be tooled and then clamping the other pieces of work to the rst noted pieces that there is no tendency for the position of the rst noted piece to be displaced in the chuck. By means of my arrangement, I am able to secure a precision of lathe operation heretofore accomplished only with the most extreme gether after one of said pieces has been clamped??- in position.

2.l A rail chuck provided with means combiof pieces of work against saidrail and clamping,

jaws having a right'and left screw threaded connection the adjustment of which clampsthe plu-` l ralityof pieces of 4work together.

3. A rail chuck having a rail and va pluralityV of jaws for clamping a'plurality of pieces of work together prior to a tooling operation thereon comprising means independent of said jaws for clamping one of said` pieces of work against said rail, said jaws provided with means adjustable for clamping said pieces of work together after one ofA said pieces hasbeen clamped in position, said jaw clamping means comprising a floating screw.

4.` A rail chuck having a rail and two jaws for clamping a plurality of pieces of work together,

meansindependentof said jaws for locating one vof said pieces of iWork with respect to said rail and said clamping jaws relatively adjustable for clamping said pieces of work together with respect to said located piece of work.

'5. A rail chuck having-a rail and two jaws for clamping a plurality of pieces of work together,

meansindependentof said jaws for locating one of said pieces of Workwith respect to said rail and said clamping jaws relatively adjustable for clamping said pieces of work together with respectto said located piece of work comprising a `floating Screw. nationA with a rail for clampingoneof aplurality 11" 6. A rail chuck having a rail and a plurality of clamping jaws which are independently vadjustable with'respect one to another, and mea'ns independent of the clamping jaws for clamping one,

of several pieces of work being prepared as a unit v 'i'r a tooling operation, to said rail.

.7., A rail chuck having a rail and a plurality of clamping jaws which are cooperatively adjustable with respect vone to another, and means Aindependent of the clamping jaws for clamping one,

' 4THEODORE A.y WET'I'IG.

"of-severalvpieces oi work, being prepared as a unit for a tooling operation, to said rail. 

